New Build, cost to install Sky and Telephone Line

henrygregory

Hi, I have made an offer on a new build. I made sure I offered a good few thousand less to cover any things I need doing.

The house is so new it does not yet have an official address or door number.

1.Does anyone know how expensive and how long it would take to install a BT telephone line? I can get fibre broadband which I assumed would negate the need for a BT line (as we use it none other than for broadband) but most of the providers say in the small print that we would also need a bt line for the fibre.

2.Does anyone have any rough ideas on how much it would cost to have a sky dish installed with four outputs from the LNB. One to bedroom one, one to bedroom two, and two to lounge? I would be looking for a non-sky install (so an independent company) as we currently have the boxes and watch the subscription free, free to view channels.
I really would like for the sky leads to be put into the plasterboard so the plugs could be flush with the wall. Here is the existing wiring in the lounge, I have marked in red where I would like the plug to be. Would this be expensive to achieve?



Location: South East
TV areal in loft, but no dish fitted to house.

Browntoa

Hiding the cable would be expensive , it's likely to be stud wall or dab plasterboard do you are looking at removing plasterboard to get behind and the making good

henrygregory

Browntoa wrote: »

Hiding the cable would be expensive , it's likely to be stud wall or dab plasterboard do you are looking at removing plasterboard to get behind and the making good

Sounds like a nightmare. Wish they just put these things in to start with. There is a door to the right and stairs, with a cupboard to the left so would not be easy to get a wire to this wall.

onomatopoeia99

henrygregory wrote: »

1.Does anyone know how expensive and how long it would take to install a BT telephone line? I can get fibre broadband which I assumed would negate the need for a BT line (as we use it none other than for broadband) but most of the providers say in the small print that we would also need a bt line for the fibre.

Your assumption is wrong. "Fibre broadband" can mean one of three things (commonly)

1. FTTC delivered over a BT copper twisted pair (conventional phone line). You will need to pay some kind of line rental with this, though some ISPs wrap it into a single cost and declared "no line rental", which is cobblers - just because it isn't itemized separately doesn't mean that you're not paying it.
2. FTTP delivered over a BT fibre optic cable to your home, No need to have a traditional copper pair to your home with this.
3. Virgin Media "fibre" broadband, delivered over coax . No need to have a traditional copper pair with this.

If it's BT infrastructure then FTTC is far more common, but BT are putting FTTP in to some new builds.

The cost for a new line used to be about £120 from BT, but I think it's cheaper nowadays. You don't have to get it from BT Retail any more though. A lot of ISPs will do the whole package, line + broadband including the installation or a new line. The way they structure the offer will depend on things like contract length. Some will want installation paid up front, some might amortized it over the monthly charge on an 18 month contract for example.


Regarding hiding the cables, if it's a new build, get the builder to do it during first fix. If you're buying off plan. If the house is already built then try to get the builder to sort it for you as part of the deal. Otherwise it's a lot of work. I've been doing structured cabling in my 1950s house, but I'm doing a complete renovation as it badly needs it - I wouldn't want to do it in a house that's been decorated in the last few years, never mind decorated but not yet lived in.

J_B

Maybe ...

If it's a stud wall, a decent sparky may be able to 'fish' the cable behind the plasterboard with a few incisions?

Maybe?

Better done before you move in then you could skim/paint over the gaps!

iniltous

Is your new build home part of a medium /large development or a development of 6 or less property's ?...normally a developer will contact Openreach early in the development, OR supply the socket for the developer to install (OR pay the developer for this work)
OR organise the connection of this socket to the network, you then normally contact a provider of your choice (one that uses OR's infrastructure ) to get service
As already stated if you can get FTTC fibre the phoneline is still a conventional phoneline, a FTTH fibre you will have more than a telephone socket fitted, Google Openreach FTTH ONT to see pictures of what is installed before you move in ( I'm sure the developer would mention FTTH if you were able to get it so it's probably not FTTH from OR)

If the developer hasn't contacted OR , or the development is a small number of property's, then service would be provided as and when ordered and be subject to survey...quite often in situations like this, if the nearby property's are fed from telegraph poles (overhead wires) then yours would be also,and that may well dictate where the master socket would be fitted after you order service from someone

henrygregory

iniltous wrote: »

Is your new build home part of a medium /large development or a development of 6 or less property's ?...normally a developer will contact Openreach early in the development, OR supply the socket for the developer to install (OR pay the developer for this work)
OR organise the connection of this socket to the network, you then normally contact a provider of your choice (one that uses OR's infrastructure ) to get service
As already stated if you can get FTTC fibre the phoneline is still a conventional phoneline, a FTTH fibre you will have more than a telephone socket fitted, Google Openreach FTTH ONT to see pictures of what is installed before you move in ( I'm sure the developer would mention FTTH if you were able to get it so it's probably not FTTH from OR)

If the developer hasn't contacted OR , or the development is a small number of property's, then service would be provided as and when ordered and be subject to survey...quite often in situations like this, if the nearby property's are fed from telegraph poles (overhead wires) then yours would be also,and that may well dictate where the master socket would be fitted after you order service from someone

Thanks, useful post that. It is a development of just six houses but the developer is a private developer. Just one builder who has subcontracted people in to do the works, not like these bigger 'proper' developers.

On that basis, I would say he prob has not contacted anyone so we would prob have to go with your second paragraph. I did not notice any telegraph poles anywhere and there are lots of local houses nearby, so I am assuming it must all be underground.

iniltous

henrygregory wrote: »

Thanks, useful post that. It is a development of just six houses but the developer is a private developer. Just one builder who has subcontracted people in to do the works, not like these bigger 'proper' developers.

On that basis, I would say he prob has not contacted anyone so we would prob have to go with your second paragraph. I did not notice any telegraph poles anywhere and there are lots of local houses nearby, so I am assuming it must all be underground.

Depending on the size of the development, type of property's etc, if the developer is providing roads and footpaths , then until the council adopts those roads and footpaths, OR has no 'right' to install ducting, cables, build joint boxes etc, so if these don't get installed at the inception (by the developer but paid for by OR) , they rarely retro fit underground service, even if surrounding property's are fed underground, what you may find is once you or one of your neighbours in these new builds orders service from a provider , a survey/planner will visit the area, and a typical solution would be to install a pole in the existing adopted footpath in such a way that most if not all new property's could be served from that.
If the area has a planning restriction on overhead service (not that likely tbh) then a underground feed may be provided, but would take considerably longer
If the builder agrees to provide duct from the curtilege of the development to each property then again underground may be considered, but it comes down to cost, and overhead is the cheapest, (unless the developer assists with u/g)...if your developer is still 'on site' it may be worth asking what they have done about phone/internet connectivity